OKLAHOMA CITY -- Parents of special needs children who are frustrated by a lack of testing in their local school district may soon get a helping hand. A bill at the state capitol would provide faster services in public schools.
It's welcome news for Tim LeJeune. His 9-year-old son, Dustin, has special needs including ADHD, an outburst behavior disorder, and anxiety. Months ago, Tim asked his son's school in Yukon to evaluate the third grader for an individualized education program; known as an IEP for special education students, but so far it hasn't happened.
Tim says, "I want him to learn. I want him to get an equal education like every other student. Even though he's disabled, he's still entitled to it."
Oklahoma State Representative Mike Shelton authored a bill to fix the situation.
He says, "A lot of it is already federal law, but there's a loophole in the law that there's no starting date. So basically this bill would create a starting date."
If the bill passes, school districts would have 30 days after a request to get kids like Dustin started on their evaluations. State department of education officials tell us some districts already provide timely service, but it's the ones that don't that would be impacted.
The bill does not include any extra funding or resources for the districts to help with the evaluations, but both officials at the state Department of Education and the bill's author say it's not needed.
Federal laws already provide money for the process. Though state education officials say special education programs in general are always under funded.
Contact KFOR News directly by clicking here if you would like to submit a news story tip or suggestion.
Copyright 2009 KFOR-TV-DT. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
It's welcome news for Tim LeJeune. His 9-year-old son, Dustin, has special needs including ADHD, an outburst behavior disorder, and anxiety. Months ago, Tim asked his son's school in Yukon to evaluate the third grader for an individualized education program; known as an IEP for special education students, but so far it hasn't happened.
Tim says, "I want him to learn. I want him to get an equal education like every other student. Even though he's disabled, he's still entitled to it."
Oklahoma State Representative Mike Shelton authored a bill to fix the situation.
He says, "A lot of it is already federal law, but there's a loophole in the law that there's no starting date. So basically this bill would create a starting date."
If the bill passes, school districts would have 30 days after a request to get kids like Dustin started on their evaluations. State department of education officials tell us some districts already provide timely service, but it's the ones that don't that would be impacted.
The bill does not include any extra funding or resources for the districts to help with the evaluations, but both officials at the state Department of Education and the bill's author say it's not needed.
Federal laws already provide money for the process. Though state education officials say special education programs in general are always under funded.
Contact KFOR News directly by clicking here if you would like to submit a news story tip or suggestion.
Copyright 2009 KFOR-TV-DT. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
